"Chiaki J. Konaka" is a very unusual name, as Japanese names typically do not include middle names. Konaka states that the "J." evokes the "Christian" name "John", due to his being born to parents who were members of the Anglican Church, but he does not identify as Christian. He began using the "J." at the age of 12, when he began making 8 mm films; he patterned the style after Western names such as "Charles M. Schulz".[3]